Thursday, July 2, 2009

I'm so not a chef/cook by any stretch of the imagination. Really, I hate cooking. I keep thinking that maybe my disdain is due to having a small kitchen, no "proper" training or a fridge that doesn't have the freezer on the bottom (I'm sure I'd enjoy cooking more if I had a freezer on the bottom).

So, I'm all about making it asap with minimal effort and if I can avoid touching raw meat, BONUS!!! Here's a complete, simple meal that's ready in an hour, but only because the chicken bakes for that long. Prep time is only five to ten minutes. Serve with canned fruit like peaches and some fresh from the store bakery French bread.

Entree: Mushroom ChickenIngredients

Boneless, skinless, frozen chicken breasts (4 or however many you can fit in a 9x13 baking dish) The chicken doesn't affect the taste or the overall dish, so you can make as much or little as you need.

1 can cream of mushroom soup (I use the fat free one)

1 cup of milk

1 packet of onion soup mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place froze chicken breasts into baking dish then mix together cream soup, milk and onion soup, until blended, and pour over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour. Serve over rice.

Salad: Cranberry AlmondIngredients

Dried cranberries (I use Craisins)

Slivered almonds (you can find these in the produce department next to the croutons)

Shredded mozzarella

1 package of ready to use salad lettuce mix

Dressing of choice (I like ranch with the cranberries)

You can buy everything ready for use (so simple), so all you need to do is throw it all together in a bowl and use however much or little of each ingredient as you want. The cranberries have a nice tangy flavor and the almonds provide a little crunch. Yummy and simple.